Force of funny: Eddie Izzard plays Bardavon

Friday

Feb 15, 2013 at 2:00 AM

In law, a "force majeure" is an unavoidable accident that's beyond our control, unpredictable and irresistible. So call it a happy accident that British comedian Eddie Izzard brings his "Force Majeure" tour to the Bardavon Opera House Saturday in a rare break from his month of workshopping the material in Manhattan.

Deborah Medenbach

In law, a "force majeure" is an unavoidable accident that's beyond our control, unpredictable and irresistible. So call it a happy accident that British comedian Eddie Izzard brings his "Force Majeure" tour to the Bardavon Opera House Saturday in a rare break from his month of workshopping the material in Manhattan.

The comic has been performing nightly since January at the edgy Culture Project on Bleecker Street to prepare for a European tour in late March. Tickets for the Bardavon show went on sale in December and sold out instantly. Izzard agreed to add a second show to accommodate the overflow.

"This is a guy who sold out Madison Square Garden," said Bardavon Executive Director Chris Silva. "I'm really psyched about it." Only one other "Force Majeure" tour workshop show was scheduled outside Manhattan during the rehearsal month.

Izzard's stand-up routines assume a good grasp of world history, literature, religion and languages in his audiences. His comedy bounces from English to French to German in a heartbeat, weaving in his James Mason characterization of God for good measure.

"I think it's a great opportunity for anyone who loves comedy to have such a giant of the form here on a local stage. You don't have to go to Madison Square Garden," said fan Linda Fite of Kerhonkson.

She purchased eight tickets for Saturday's show and squeezed into the crowd at Madison Square Garden a couple of years ago as well. Fite was introduced to Izzard's comedy when a British artist friend gave her a "copy of a copy of a copy" of Izzard's "Dressed to Kill" video and was hooked.

"He's like Robin Williams. He's so rapid-fire that you have to keep up. If I miss a cultural reference or don't know the slang, it's still funny because he's right on to the next thing," Fite said.

Izzard, now 51, is recognized in the United States and Great Britain for more than a dozen films, television shows and stage acting appearances, and for his social and political activism.

In 2009, Izzard ran 43 marathons in 51 days through England to raise money for Sport Relief after only five weeks of training. The feat won the comic the 2009 BBC Sports Personality of the Year award. A similar effort last summer to run 27 marathons in South Africa to honor Nelson Mandela was cut short by unexpected health problems after four races, but he hopes to return to the country this summer to complete the races.

Izzard continues his shows at the Culture Project through early March. The "Force Majeure" tour starts in Latvia and sweeps through 18 countries, ending in June in South Africa.